In a recent study (focusing on the impact of payment reminders on payments by phone only – not other payment avenues such as web payments), of one large medical practice in particular, during a normal billing cycle, automated voice reminders were delivered to all patients who had incurred charges during the most recent billing period and received their bill in the mail.

HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Passed in the U.S. in 1996 it provides data privacy and security provisions for keeping medical information safe.

Health care providers have never been more vulnerable to data breaches and cyber attacks. Healthcare is the second largest industry in the U.S. and is even more vulnerable in the sense that not only is hacker meddling costly in terms of time and money, it can threaten lives as well.

In today’s competitive and interconnected world, companies and organizations really have no choice in terms of offering ever more enhanced forms of customer service if they wish to stay ahead of the game (or just not fall too far behind...) and medical practices are no exception.

Account receivables can be a source of significant financial difficulty when not managed properly. Inefficiencies in a company’s accounts receivable practices can have a negative impact on the bottom line in the form of increased collections costs and delays in receiving monies owed.

Whether it is the anxiety that precedes a medical procedure, the uncertainty of an illness, or the physical trauma of a broken bone, dealing with a medical issue is seldom if ever anyone’s idea of relaxing.

Our tech-savvy, consumer-based culture relies heavily on flexible, simple, accessible payment options when making purchases and obtaining services. One of these solutions is payment by telephone - a process that typically involves calling a customer service department and relaying important and valuable personal information to a live agent.

Today’s consumers expect to be able to buy and receive services when it is convenient for them. Consumers want to do business on their terms and in their own time. This has driven businesses to offer 24/7 online customer service, around-the-clock telephone customer service, or, at the very least, remain open for extended business hours.

IVR Payments (Interactive Voice Response) is a technology that allows customers to make payments for bills, fees, and contributions over the telephone by interacting with an automated system.

The way healthcare providers take payment with credit cards is undergoing significant and continuous change as a result of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) security requirements, and the efforts of PCI Security Standard Council to secure credit card holder information.